Living the Full Life and Defining Your Best Self

To me, the elements necessary to live a full life are: self love, integrity, and consciousness. I believe the world is chock-full of people who merely exist opposed to living. These people ‘live’ to promote their necessity to be seen. They exist via the need to prove to others what they possess, status quos. I have very close friends and relatives who own ‘debts’ for ‘things’ that they ‘struggle’ to exhibit for the purpose of being notice by others. It’s important to these people to walk amongst the ‘ranks’ of those that are equal in status, as well as, ‘noticed’ by those that exceed said status. And it’s even more significant if they are admired and/or envied by those that possess less (in terms of materialistic importance). This to me is not living for self; it’s living for the approval, acceptance and burden of others. How is working eight days a week, to pay of rims on your car, living? What kind of since does it make to be responsible for a $2100/month mortgage, when your $700/month rent was a constant dilemma? Why finance a BMW SUV that you have to borrow gas money to drive? These things are facades for a lot of people. They live to possess a certain impression that can be made upon others, never impressing upon themselves the freedom to live without worry, fear and leisure.

Self Love

I live according to my favorite life quote, “Live each day as if it’s your last, because one day it will be.” I am very familiar with ‘existing opposed to living’, although not relative to the aforementioned. I was an excessively organized workaholic. I lived on a closed schedule, right down to bathroom breaks. Although, I was successful, I was absolutely miserable and worse to be around…and didn’t know it. My neck always hurt and one day as I walked past a mirror, I realized that I looked tense and stoic. Immediately, I realized that my stature was identical to that of, Nasferatu (1922).

It occurred to me that if that’s how I look to myself when I wasn’t looking, it has to be the way I always appear to everyone else, aloof. That day, I decided that I was working myself literally to death and never enjoying the accomplishments that accompanied the fruit of my labor. I made a conscience effort to relax and be the person that was successful, but ever more successful at being able to be unconventional and ‘open’. Although, there are times when I find my shoulders hiked up, it’s rare and the result of some type of adversity or tension. I often vacation, and have learned that I’m the biggest beach bum ever created. I can literally live under a cocoanut tree for 12 hours every day for two consecutive months annually and not feel compelled to do anything. I no longer abide by tedious, meticulous schedules, although I still pay all of my bills on time. I elect professions that accommodate my desire to flee (hop on a plane, train, bus or boat) for the weekend. It is my personal goal to express love to myself and my SELF.

Integrity

Regardless of every situation that I may encounter, it’s always my priority to exhibit a high degree of integrity. I know (without a doubt) that honesty, dignity and responsibility are means to a great life and existence. If ever one is to see me as an unfriendly person, they could never find a valid excuse to consider me a low life. In my life, I’ve always practiced honesty, brutally in my younger years. In fact, I’ve never understood nor appreciated the art of lying, fronting nor cheating, regardless of the cause. I feel that everyone has a choice in everything that is not forced upon them with bodily harm. And with that choice comes: accountability, reason and purpose. Living illustrates how one is projected when they die, and the two are often juxtapose posthumously. In my life, I’ve witness the ramifications of manipulation, neglect and infamous behavior, as well as, the counter.  As a result, I realized that living a life grounded in integrity is proven to be one worth living.

Consciousness

Awareness and knowledge are key components in living a full life. How can one live a full life being ignorant? When I think of something full, substance instantly comes to mind. Without awareness, I wouldn’t know the type of person I am, as I would lack the capacity to want to or care. Knowing has to do with everything that can be challenged, thus allowing free-thinking. Without the capacity to understand my lack of knowing, I would definitely not be the person I am so proud to be.